The Government of Ghana, spearheaded by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) through the multi-donor Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM), has initiated a crucial national workshop focused on transhumance and the strengthening of farmer-herder relations within northern Ghana. This event, held on August 5, 2026, brought together a diverse range of stakeholders – national institutions, regional authorities, development partners, civil society organizations, implementing partners, and technical experts – to discuss practical strategies for improving seasonal livestock mobility management and mitigating tensions between farming and pastoralist communities. The workshop’s primary objective is to address the escalating risks associated with increasing land and water scarcity, coupled with climate-driven pressures and inconsistent implementation of local governance mechanisms, which are contributing to localized conflicts. The IOM’s Transhumance Tracking Tool (TTT), which recorded over 4,200 transhumant herders and nearly 100,000 livestock moving along key corridors in the Upper East and Upper West Regions between June and November 2025, further underscored this escalating challenge. Furthermore, the Early Warning system recorded more than 40 alerts, most of which were linked to farmer-herder disputes, competition over grazing land, and limited access to vital water resources. The findings represent a significant impetus for proactive measures. The workshop provided a crucial opportunity for national stakeholders to collaboratively identify and prioritize effective solutions, bolster coordination across relevant institutions, and implement evidence-based policies. Speaking on behalf of the National Security Coordinator, Major General Timothy Ba-Taa-Banah, Director of Ghana’s National Counter-Terrorism Fusion Centre, emphasized the workshop’s significance, stating, “The workshop demonstrates our collective commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s peace, strengthening national resilience, and addressing emerging security challenges through dialogue, partnership, and the application of evidence-based policymaking.” The discussions built upon ongoing initiatives supporting coordinated and informed management of transhumance, including the Climate Change and Migration Data (CCMD) Programme and the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), which IOM has developed using the Transhumance Tracking Tool. The data generated by the TTT provides crucial insights into transhumance corridors, pastoral infrastructure, and hotspots, supporting early warning systems, coordinated responses, and informed decision-making by regional and local authorities. Complementing these efforts, the CSSM, as part of its integrated stabilisation work, has supported the development and gazetting of district-level bye-laws regulating livestock movement, land use, and dispute resolution across selected districts in the Upper West Region. The initiative aims to establish locally owned frameworks for preventing and managing conflict, and the participants committed to sustaining dialogue, strengthening cross-district and cross-border collaboration, enhancing coordination between Regional and District Security Councils through regular information sharing and joint response mechanisms. The workshop concluded with recommendations for a more inclusive and coordinated approach to farmer-herder relations, bringing together farmers, herders, livestock owners, traditional authorities, civil society, and government actors. As a next step, participants reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining dialogue, strengthening cross-district and cross-border collaboration, and enhancing coordination between Regional and District Security Councils through regular information sharing and joint response mechanisms. The measures are expected to support the timely prevention and resolution of conflicts while addressing the transnational dynamics of transhumance. The workshop was facilitated through the Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM), funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, as well as the Climate Change and Migration Data (CCMD) Programme, funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” 10 tags: transhumance, Ghana, pastoralism, security, conflict, migration, climate, governance, collaboration. The excerpt is approximately 13 paragraphs long.
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Source: Adom Online
